Health & Safety

With the downturn in the construction industry, the Health and Safety Authority are turning their attention to other businesses for their compliance reviews. One of the most basic things that all businesses need is a Health & Safety Statement. This should detail the particular hazards in the workplace and how they are managed. Even the smallest business, e.g. self-employed person working through a company from their own home is required to comply.

If you are a small company then you may be able to draw up your own compliance statement using the guidance from the Health & Safety Authority. Larger companies should engage the services of environmental compliance review experts.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 governs the duties of employers (trades persons, directors, senior managers etc.) and their employees regarding safety and health. While trivial breaches (such as having no safety statement) will result in an Improvement Notice and another visit from the Health & Safety Authority, serious breaches can result in fines of up to €3m or two years imprisonment.